Chapter 10 – Casual day of Harima
A/N: Over time is a pain in the ass. Sorry guys, I was so busy and my body hurt all over from 6 days 10 plus hours a day work, It's really cutting into my writing time. Without further bitching, here is chapter 10.
Velvet ran from the dinner hall. Her face bright red from embarrassment, although he never mentioned his name to her. She read his mind, his name was Hanai Haruki and he's genuinely in love with her.
Velvet sat down under a tree just outside the second years dorm. Velvet really hate her Semblance, it gave her ability to copy and imitate any style of combat she saw, but it also gave her the ability to read other people's mind. How she loath what she could hear in their heads.
Due to her being a Faunus, many were not kind to her. But what she heard in their mind were ten times worse then anything they would've ever said out loud. For her, true friends were a rare thing. She was thankful for having Coco, Fox and Yatsuhashi. They even knew about her mind reading ability.
Velvet smiled as she remembered how Coco tried to get her to play poker and clean out a casino. How Yatsuhashi tried to calm his mind and clear his thoughts, then asked her if she could hear any stray thoughts in his head while he meditate. Fox just shrugged and told her as long as she doesn't use what she heard from his head against him, he was cool with her.
It was then she heard the bush beside her rustle. She looked over and saw a black cat hiding under the bush. The cat looked wearily at her. Velvet said with a soft smile. "Hey... you okay. I won't hurt you. Promise."
The cat shrunk away from her, one paw never touched the ground. It was then Velvet noticed something was wrong with the black cat's front paw. She tried again. "Please don't be afraid. Let me look at your paw. I can help."
Velvet could only sigh as the cat pulled back even more. Ever since she was a child, no animal ever got close to her and she couldn't read their mind. No matter how hard she tried, they never seemed to listen to her.
"Hey. What's wrong there?" Velvet almost jumped from her seated position as a bearded muscle man appeared beside her.
"Nothing! There is nothing wrong!" Velvet said defensively. It was her natural reaction to stranger. Velvet soon recognised him as one of the person whom had saved her from team CRDL.
"Hey, it's okay. Calm down. I'm sorry I surprised you." The bearded man looked over and saw the black cat. "Umm. What's a cat doing on campus?"
"He's hurt, there is something wrong with his front paw, I tried to get him to come out, but..." Velvet tried to explain.
"Umm I see." The bearded man crouched down and stared down at the cat in the bush. An almost evil glare and dark aura leaked out of the man's body. Velvet almost panicked, she thought the man would just grab the cat whether he like it or not.
"Come." The man commanded. To Velvet's surprise, the cat shot out with a meow and stood before the bearded man. "Ahh, you got a splinter in your paw... there." The man pulled the splinter out. The cat happily rubbed it's flank on the man's hand.
"How? How did you do that?" Velvet said with surprise.
"Umm? It's nothing special. I always have a way with animals." The man said casually.
"I wish I could do that as well. They never come close to me." Velvet said sadly.
The man looked down at the cat, then looked over to her. "Call him by his name, Iori. Give it a try."
Velvet looked at the man with uncertainty then said. "Iori..." The cat bolted from Harima and rested himself on Velvet's lap, the cat gave out a content purr. Velvet's eyes widened comically. She couldn't believe what had just happened.
"See. Not so difficult, just takes time that's all. Well I better be off." The man said.
"Wait! What's your name... and can you teach me how you did that?" Velvet said desperately.
"Oh right... sorry I forgot to introduce myself. Names Harima Kenji. As for if I can teach what I did, we can try, if you got free time this weekend." Harima said while looking back.
"This Sunday I should be free. Is it ok if I call you in the morning?" Velvet asked.
"Sure. Just give me a call or come to Team NIHK's dorm room. Well see you around, Miss... damn I forgot to ask for your name." Harima just realized his mistake.
"Velvet. Velvet Scarlatina. See you on Sunday. Harima." Velvet replied with a small smile while petting Iori.
After Harima left, it was then she realized something very unusual. Not once did she hear anything from Harima's mind.
(Line break)
The next day was the weekend, Saturday to be more precise. Yang was not upset and most certainly not angry at a certain bespectacled muscle for brain moron. Was it so far fetch for her to assume her childhood friend Hanai had fell in love with her? Was it so strange to think that he might have feelings for her since they were kids?
'No! It's not strange at all!' Yang thought to herself. It was all Hanai's fault! All her other male friends and some female friends confessed to her, because she was beautiful, upbeat and a really. REALLY! Brilliant person to be with, so it was all Hanai's fault and her right fist was most certainly not throbbing in pain after she slugged his thick hard as brick skull.
'Should have slugged him with Ember Celica on.' Yang thought to herself as she made her way to Vale's Shinto shrine.
Of all the time she had to hurt her hand, it was the time when she needed to fill out her driving licence renew paper. She also needed to get it done today, but with a hand unable to even hold a pen properly. She would have a hard time filling out the form, if at all.
Thus Yang prayed in front of the small shrine. "Please heal my hand in time for my renew paper. I really want to keep driving my bike Bumblebee. Please help..."
Yang was in shock when the shrine's door opened with holy white light spilling forth. "Hold out thou hand."
Yang held out her hand, the figure within the light tied a handkerchief and a pen onto her injured right hand. "Now thou shall be able to write and fill out your renew paper."
"I guess I suppose to say thanks and all, but instead I'm going to say this... What the hell are you doing Harima!?" Yang said with a mild tone of amusement.
"What blasphemy is this!? Who is this Harima person you speak..." The bearded figure in white robe and a wooden cane said with shock.
"Nope. You're Harima." Yang patted Harima with her right hand, poking him with a rather sharp pen.
"Hey! Watch it! That pen is sharp and play along. This is my part time job here. The priest pays me to play the role of local deity giving pilgrims help and advice." Harima said with a whisper.
"Harima. I know we are first years and all, but we should have enough to get us by until we take on hunter's job. Why are you doing a part time job?" Yang said with confusion.
"Don't have time to explain. If you stick around for another thirty minute, when my job ends. I will tell you. Better yet, I will show you. Now please play along. Other pilgrims are here." Harima whispered while looking behind Yang.
Yang looked back and saw an old granny making her way towards them. Yang looked towards Harima and said. "Ummm... Thank you... for your guidance. See you soon."
Yang moved out off the way and sat down on a bench on the side of the shrine. She watched as Harima played his role and helped the pilgrims. Soon thirty minutes were gone and the priest thanked him for his help. Harima got changed and came back out in his white shirt and black leather jeans and jacket.
Yang hooked her arm with his and said with a smirk. "So show me why you need a part time job. Buying gift for a secret girlfriend or perhaps a shameful hobby you don't want others to know."
Harima raised an eyebrow at her. "Aren't you suppose to fill out some paper for you bike?"
"That can wait. I got time." Yang said with a wide grin. "So show me. I want to know what I waited thirty minutes for."
Harima sighed. "Come along then." They walked for quite some time and ended up in a rather shady part of Vale's warehouse district.
Yang was a little concerned, but she teased Harima none the less. "Real nice part of town you showing a gal. I never knew you're the shady sort."
Harima gave her a blank stare then said. "Hey. Ain't doing nothing shady, unlike a certain someone who goes trashing nightclub."
Yang was surprised. "Hey! How did you know..."
"We're here." Harima interrupted as he lifted a garage door.
Yang was at a lost for words as her eyes widened at the motor bike before her, an almost complete bike in the middle of restoration. A black Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic. One that could very well belong to collectors of old classics.
"Being trying to fix the old girls up for a year now. What spare lien I could get goes to this old beauty. And I can tell you, it ain't cheap." Harima said with admiration in his voice.
"Wow. She is beautiful, how did you even come across an old bike like this?" Good thing she got Bumblebee or she might consider stealing this beauty for herself.
"She belonged to my dad. An old friend kept her safe instead of throwing her into the scrap yard." Harima said as he began to dust down the bike.
"Belonged... as in the past." Yang said with uncertainty.
"Yea. He passed away when I was a kid. You can say this bike was his legacy." Harima said.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean..." Yang said with a pang of guilt.
"Umm? Don't be. It was a long time ago and truth be told. I couldn't remember very much about him. Got hit pretty hard in the head and..." Harima was interrupted when Yang hugged him.
"Hey! What cha doing!? This is really uncomfortable..." Harima said in panic.
"Shush! You need this. You will thank me someday for this." Yang chided Harima, then let go soon afterwards. Yang then said. "What about your mother. It must have been hard..."
"Never knew her to be honest with you. My aunt said she left after I was born." Harima said nonchalant.
"What!? If your mother is still alive, you have to find her!" Yang shouted at Harima.
"Why?" Harima said with honest confusion.
"Why? WHY!? Because she's your mother. Because she walked out on you. Don't you want to know why!? I know I want to know why my m..." Yang cut herself off, she was getting very upset over this.
"Well. I did ask myself why when I was younger, but..." Harima said with a pause.
"But?" Yang said with a small glimmer of tears in her eyes.
"I moved on. Does those reason matter? Truth be told, I got my own life to live and goals I want to achieve. Why let the action and reason of my mother leaving me at birth shadow the rest of my life." Harima said with honest concern for Yang.
"I wish I can see it the way you do." Yang said sadly.
"Let me tell you something the old man once said to me. Shit happens in life. Sometime they're nothing serious, others they change your world forever. It's how we deal with them and then move on with our life that truly matter in the end. Regret and old ghost are never good for the living. So we gotta man up and laugh at the world with all the shits and Grimm in it. Other wise you will lock yourself in a dark room and never come out again." Harima said to her while resting a hand on her shoulder.
"That old man like to use the word shit a lot doesn't he." Yang said with a smirk.
"You have no idea. I still can't figure out how his laugher scare all the Grimm away from his mountain dojo." Harima said with a smile.
Yang laughed at that. "You know in situation like this. A hug is the best way to comfort a girl." Yang teased Harima.
"No! Nononono! I can't do that. I won't do it!" Harima said while completely flustered and shook his head rapidly. Yang laughed at the sheer embarrassment on Harima's face.
'Who knew Harima is such a prude.' Yang thought to herself. "Well it was nice talking to you Harima. Maybe you'll give me a ride when you finish that vintage of a bike." Yang said with a bright smile.
"Pfff. Sure thing. As long as you keep your hands to yourself." Harima said with a huff.
"Way to give a gal her confidence. See ya around." Yang said as she left the garage.
(Line break)
Much later on after Yang left. Harima paid a visit to Vale's Zoo and started his second job. Advertising the Zoo and performing mystical divination with his collection of animal friends.
"Put your investment in the Vacuo's sweetcorn shipment by the end of this month. You will begin to see a return by the end of next month. Toto here haven't steered me wrong yet." Harima gave a small scruffy dog a scratch on his head.
"Thank you. I will begin my investment, and thank you again for your help. Many of my workers still have their job thanks to you." The business man said to Harima.
"No need to thank us. It's a joy to help good people like you when I can." Harima said wisely.
After the man left. Harima stretched out and began to hand out water and snacks to his animal buddies. It was then Weiss showed up and said with surprise. "Beard!? What's with all those... animals. Is that a lion!"
"Beard? That's new from you. Normally you call me..." Harima said before being interrupted.
"Look. I'm trying to be nice. Okay, so instead of hooligan, I decided to call you beard." Harima raised his eyebrow at Weiss. "So. What are you doing?"
"Working. I tell fortune to people with the help of my animal friends here. You want to know something?" Harima answered.
"Oh. In that case. My sister's birthday is coming up. What do you think she will like as a present?" Weiss said with a small blush.
"Ribbit." A frog croaked.
"Curry." Harima answered.
Weiss turned bright red and got Harima by his collar. She shouted into his face. "Do this seriously! Or don't do it at all!"
"Hey! Alexander is one of my best, he's never wrong!" Harima defended himself and his frog.
Weiss let go of Harima and said to him while trying to regain her noble posture. "Anyway. I know there isn't anything against Beacon student working, but don't neglect your study okay."
Weiss left soon after. Harima said to himself. "What was that all about?"
"Oh wow. Nara! Look at all those animals!" Harima almost froze up when Ruby shouted in his direction.
It was then Nara showed up. "Ruby. Don't run off like that... oh, hey Harima. What're you doing."
Harima's animal companions began to make a raucous, they all sensed his unease. "Everyone calm down! Calm down I say!" Harima tried to calm them all down.
Once Ruby saw Harima, she moved behind Nara and kept her distance from him. Harima almost lost his will to live. Nara saw this and tried to rectify the situation. "Hey Ruby, don't be like that. Harima is actually a pretty nice guy."
Ruby said with a pout. "I don't know him like everyone else. He doesn't have a weapon."
"Wait. What does a weapon have to do with..." Nara was then interrupted by Ruby.
"Everything! Weapon's are like people. With weapon's I can tell what kind of people they are. Harima don't have a weapon, I can't tell what he's like." Ruby said in a rush.
That was a pretty weird logic that Nara heard once from his Mistress. He honestly didn't know Ruby held the same view. 'Hmm... wonder what would happen if Ruby met my Mistre... No. That is a dark and terrifying path. There might be two of them, if he did that.' Nara thought with a shiver.
Nara noticed Harima seemed to be dazing off. He said to him. "I will see you later Harima, just so you know. I'm only helping out with shopping. This isn't a date or anything."
Nara was dragged off by Ruby, who was in a hurry to the next shop. By the time Harima came out of his daze. He slumped down into his chair, his head hung in defeat. "It's hopeless. What am I even doing? How can I even tell her how I feel if she already hates m... SLAM!"
Harima was knocked off the chair by Kuuta. The giant red panda bitch slapped him. It then growled. "Roar roar... roar roar... grrrwrr!"
Harima looked up at Kuuta and said. "You're right! I can't let it end like this. I will tell her how I feel right now!" The rest of his animal companions roared in approval.
Harima ran after Ruby Rose with the rest of his animal buddies right behind him. He ran and ran, he even tripped up and hit his head harshly. Even thought he was dazed and possibly a little concussed. He saw a silhouette of a girl lending him a hand. For a moment he saw Ruby Rose. His feeling gushed out like there was no tomorrow.
"I love you! I have always love you! I love you the moment I first saw you!" Harima said with glimmer of tears in his eyes, as he grabbed her hand.
It was then the haze cleared and he got a good look at who he just confessed his feeling to. Weiss's face was bright red, her eyes were as wide as dinner plates.
Weiss thoughts were as follow. 'He loves me!? No one ever propose like that to me. He's got beards. He's got some really nice abs and body. He's not really my type... but then again. What do I do? Turn him down like everyone else in the past? Do I want to? I must be crazy! He loves me!'
Harima's thoughts were as follow. 'Oh dear God. What have I done!?'
Just a little before that rather awkward confession. Blake and Yang were in town and walking down the street. "Oh that's a good one. Me! Upset over Hanai liking Velvet! That's crazy talk."
"Just saying. You seem a bit upset. You did hit him after all. It's understandable, seventeen, raging hormones. Couples forming left and right. Even Ruby might get a boy friend before you." Blake said with a small smile.
"They will be six feet under. I can promise you that." Yang growled.
"Anyway. I can understand if you feel left behind in the romance department. Specially if Weiss get a boyfriend before you." Blake added, ignoring the blatant death threat she just heard.
"That's a good one! Ice queen get a boyfriend. Hell will freeze over before that..." Yang would have finished that sentence if not for Blake pointing in a certain direction.
Yang turned to stone as she saw Harima in a marriage proposal position with Weiss. This was even enhanced by a veritable zoo of animals watching the scene. Unbeknownst to Yang. Blake was quickly jogging down on her note pad. 'The king of beast and the ice princess. Icha Icha garden of Eden.'
"Let's go the other way and leave them alone." Blake said as she dragged Yang away with her, Yang was still in a state of complete shock and crying her eyes out.
Just as Weiss was about to give her answer, her face bright red and her voice hitched in embarrassment. She was interrupted. "Hario! We're so happy to see you again!"
A girl with white strapless dress pounced on Harima along with her identical twin in a red strapless dress. "Hario. You promise to spend time with us today. You owe us several weeks of entertainment."
"Come on Melanie, let's take Hario home, I bet he's starving." The girl in red said.
"Of course Miltia. We got your favourite chicken curry all ready at home." The girl in white said as she dragged Harima away with her.
Weiss watched the scene unfold with a darkening face. She shouted. "Harima!" Then she kneed him in the face. Weiss said calmly. "And you said you like curry. How despicable."
Harima fell to the floor face first as the Malachite twin shouted angrily at Weiss. He said in defeat. "I understand nothing anymore."
A/N: Here is the review response.
Amvmaster: A little problem with that. This is rated T. Have to avoid the F words
MorenoX25: Now that is a problem, the writing software I use has spell check, if there is a error. It means I added into it's custom dictionary. Tell me what they are and I will try and find them and correct it.
As for trolling. I got that set up and ready to go. As for Harima Mangaka, I just have a eureka moment and found a way to fit it in ;).
freebyte: I got Sarah ready to go ;). Best pull her in as she is, no one in RWBY really fit her mold.
Bast234: Glad you like it :)
rex: Master will come eventually, they will all make an appearance at one point or another.